Alarm as youth and children account for over half of Kenya's new HIV infections

Despite these progress, the report raises concern over the growing number of infections among young people and children. Youth account for 55 per cent of new HIV infections, while children aged 0 to 14 years account for 24.4 per cent.

Mother-to-child transmission also remains a major concern. Kenya's transmission rate stands at 8 per cent, which is above the global target of 5 per cent. This means many children continue to contract HIV from their mothers during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

"We have realized we are leaving children behind. The mother-baby pair at the time of pregnancy, the time of delivery and the time of postnatal care. Twenty-four per cent of the new infections which occurred in the year 2025 are attributed to mother-to-child transmission. Today we are gathered here to launch these documents which hold county governments to account and make us committed and recommitted to ending AIDS," said NSDCC CEO Douglas Bosier.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said despite the gains made, significant challenges remain.

"Important challenges remain. Kenya still records approximately 14,000 new HIV infections annually, including more than 3,000 among children. The framework therefore promotes integrated people-centred service delivery that improves efficiency and ensures that investments in HIV continue to benefit the broader health sector," said Aden Duale.

The government says it is now shifting from a national approach to a county-specific strategy, with interventions tailored to the unique needs of each county.

To support this effort, the government launched 47 County HIV Response Plans, with counties tasked with closing gaps in HIV prevention and treatment.

Officials say the plans will focus on community-level interventions aimed at reducing new infections and accelerating progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat.